My earliest taste of photography came at Badminton in 1982, when I was 16. I was accompanying my father James Whitaker, who was a journalist in Fleet Street and the royal correspondent on various newspapers [most notably The Daily Mirror], and the royal photographer Tim Graham.
Tim gave me a camera with a black-and-white film and sitting next to him at the water jump, I managed to get a sequence of Princess Anne falling with Stevie B. I was paid £50 and thought, “This is the career I want to do.”
When I was a teenager, one of my father’s jobs was to report on Prince Charles, who was the most eligible bachelor in the world. Dad would take me along to polo matches, point-to-points and horse racing. His life reporting on the royals and travelling around the world was all very exciting.
When I was on the newspaper industry’s photojournalism course in Sheffield, I freelanced for the Racing Post’s dummy editions before they first published in 1986. Afterwards, when I was on a gap year travelling, I received a call asking if I’d like to be their junior staff photographer.
Denne historien er fra December 07, 2023-utgaven av Horse & Hound.
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Denne historien er fra December 07, 2023-utgaven av Horse & Hound.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
'Sorry, but I wasn't feeling it'
Fresh from the opening meet, Tessa Waugh hasn't quite yet been bitten by the hunting bug. Without the crisp autumnal air and cheek-pinching cold she hoped for, it's a sluggish start
New pair pull off a win
A former European Championships pony is on form with his new rider, while elsewhere former showjumpers and eventers take ribbons
Lording it over the rest
Horses who have returned from injury, a second generation homebred and a long format specialist score on the final weekend of the British season
Smith hits flying form
A \"her way or no way\" mare helps Zoe Smith to an impressive ribbon haul and a rider beats his own boss to the top spot
Jankorado hits the jackpot
Paul Sims is triumphant despite his interrupted jump-off preparation and a borrowed horse comes up trumps
Peanut
From \"dangerous, scary\" to hedge-hopping brilliance, hunting has been the making of this unstable but very lovable equine character
She's a corker
Communication, says long-standing and highly respected Belvoir master Lady Sarah McCorquodale, is the key to all, as Catherine Austen discovers
Access all areas Cavalier Centre
The Cavalier Centre is a fully accessible, state-of-the-art equestrian centre designed to improve lives through horse-based activities. Ellie May Forrester pays a visit
'Use it or lose it'
Not everyone wants to reach for the pipe and slippers at a certain age. Becky Murray speaks to some veteran horse-and-rider combos for their secrets of human and equine longevity
A new way forward
Worm control in horses is vital, but established methods will not remain effective for much longer. Tim Mair FRCVS explains why and how we need to change
